Cleaning unit for boat hulls



Sept. 14, 1965 G. c. WISWELL, JR

CLEANING UNIT FOR BOAT HULLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1964 Fig.1

ATTOR NE Y5 P 14, 1965 G. c. WISWELL, JR 3,205,851

CLEANING UNIT FOR BOAT HULLS Filed Jan. 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.5

INVENTOR. 650/965 C Man/ELL. J?

BY imffiwc:

ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent Office 3,205,851 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 CLEANING UNIT FOR BOAT HULLS George C. Wiswell, .In, 1014 Pequot Ave., Southport, Conn.

Filed .lan. 23, 1964, 'Ser. No. 339,729 4 Claims. (Cl. 114-222) The present invention relates to treating apparatus, and particularly to an improved boat bottom treating apparatus.

Marine growth and slime on the bottom of boats account for a very high percentage of inefliciency in the movement of .a boat through water. The usual practice is periodically to place the boat in dry dock and to scrub the hull bottom to free it of marine growth and slime.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a stowable, flexible compartment into which the boat hull can be easily placed and from which it can be removed While the boat is still in the water.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a compartment that can be sealedagainst the ingress and egress of liquid.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a compartment that can, with facility, be drawn under the boat hull from the bow to the stern.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a compartment having an openable closure at the end of said compartment that initially receives the bow, and which closure will be capable of being sealingly closed with facility.

In one aspect of the invention, a sheet of waterproof flexible material, such as polyvinyl chloride or the like, may be provided with enlarged seams along its two longitudinal edges, said seams being filled with a buoyant material. The configuration of the sheet may be such that when both of its ends are closed in sealed relation, it conforms substantially to the outline of the hull of the boat with which it is to be used and forms a flexible compartment therefor.

In another aspect of the invention, one end of the sheet may be permanently closed in sealed relation, that is, with the sheet folded along its longitudinal cen-terline, a permanent seam may be provided at one end, sealing the overlapping transverse edges together.

In still another aspect of the invention, each half of the opposite end edge of the sheet may be sealingly connected to a tubular member that has two legs forming an included angle in the neighborhood of about 135.

In still another aspect of the invention, the two angular tubular members may be joined at the ends of one of their legs by a hinge construction such that the other two legs are parallel with each other.

In a still further aspect of the invention, the hinge may be arranged such that when the tubular members are brought together, the end of the compartment to which they are attached is closed and a watertight seal is produced between said members throughout their entire length. When the tubular members are open, that end of the compartment is opened and capable of admitting the bow of the hull into the compartment.

In still another aspect of the invention, eyelets may be provided at intervals throughout the length of the buoyant edge seam for facilitating the attachment of lines thereto to anchor the compartment to deck hardware.

The above, other objects and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the fiollowing specification and accompanying drawings which are merely exemplary.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a hull of a boat within a compartment to which the principles of the invention have been applied;

' edges of compartment 10 on the waters surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a compartment to which the principles of the invention have been applied, and it is shown in open torm, in condition to be drawn beneath the hull of a boat;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a sheet of material designed to form a compartment to which the principles of the invention have been applied;

FIG. 4 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail of the closure of the compartment to which the principles of the invention have been applied; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the compartment is applied to the hull of a boat.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, the principles of the invention are shown as applied to a compartment 10 which may be made from a sheet 11 ('FIG. 3) of waterproof flexible material, such as polyvinyl chloride or the like. The sheet 11 may be provided with wide seams 12 along its longitudinal edges that may be packed with Styrofoam or some other expanded and buoyant material. The bow end of the sheet 11 may include a curved, contoured V 14 which when seamed or otherwise fastened together along the contoured edge forms a forward closed end of the compartment 10 adapted to lie in closely spaced relation to the hull of a boat with which the compartment is to be used.

The end of sheet 11 opposite that having the V-contour 14 may include a large seam 15 terminating in a notch 16 for a purpose to be described. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the seam 15 may support, internally thereof, a resilient tubular member 1-7 surrounding a metal tubular element 18 that includes two legs 19 and 20 having an included angle in the order of about The legs 20 are joined together at the notch 16 by a hinge 21. The axis of the pintle pin 22 of hinge 21 is shown as at substantially a right angle to the longitudinal is of leg 20 and lying in a plane passing through the longitudinal centerline of the sheet 11.

Referring to FIG. 5, the lower end of each leg 19 may receive a plug or shank 23 pressed thereinto. One of the shanks 23 may include a single tang 24 that is received between the legs 25, 26 of a bifurcated portion of the other shank. A headed pintl-e pin 27 joins the tang 2'4 and legs 25, 26. A lock nut 28 completes the hinge 21.

The construction and arrangement of the parts including the angularly bent tubular elements 18 and hinge 21 are such that movement of the parallel legs 19 together in an aft direction causes them to close on each other so that the resilient tubular element 17 of each lie along a line 29 (FIG. 7), closing the aft end of the compartment. The top end of the closed members 19 may be lashed together by a line 29. In order to secure the compartment 10 to a boat, reinforced eyelets 30 may be located at intervals along the buoyant seam means 12 through which lines 31 may pass, and they may be attached to hardware on the deck of the boat with which the compartment is used.

Referring to FIG. 7, the compartment 10 may be drawn from a point forward of the bow toward the bow with the members 18 separated so that a person on each side of the deck can grasp one of the parallel arms 19 and force the hinge 21 beneath the hull. As the compartment is drawn aft, the buoyant seams 12 maintain the When the parallel legs 19 are aft of stem of the boat, they are moved toward each other until the seal 29 is efiected, whereupon the legs are lashed together by line 29'. Lines 31 are then secured, and an anti-fouling chemical, such as chlorine tablets and the like, is dissolved in the water within the compartment that is in contact with the boat hull.

Although the various features of the improved container have been shown and described in detail to fully disclose one embodiment of the invention, it will become evident that changes may be made in such details and certain features may be usedwithout others without departing from the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

, 1. Treating apparatus for a boat, comprising in combination, a compartment adapted to conform to the configuration of the hull of a boat, s aid compartment comprising a flexible sheet of waterproof material having one end sealingly closed and the other end open, said sheet having a configuration such that it can be drawn aft and beneath the bow of the hull of said boat to a point such that its open end is aft of the stern of the hull; a rigid member including angularly disposed legs attached to each half of the sheet end opposite that which is sealingly closed; and a hinge connection between one end of each of said members at the bottom of the configuration and arranged such that the legs opposite those joined by said hinge are parallel with each other when in closed position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that when said rigid members are brought together, they close the open end of said compartment. l

2. Treating apparatus for a boat, comprising in combination, a compartment adapted to conform to the configuration of the hull of a boat, said compartment comprising a flexible sheet of waterproof material having one end sealingly closed and the other end open, said sheet having a configuration such that it can be drawn aft and beneath the bow .of the hull of said boat to a point such that its open end is aft of the stern of the hull; a resilient tubular element lying along, and attached to, each half of the sheet end opposite that which is sealingly closed; a rigid member including angularly disposed legs within each of said tubular elements; and a hinge connection between one end of each of said members at the bottom of the configuration and arranged such that the legs opposite those joined by said hinge are parallel with each other when in closed position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that when said rigid members are brought together, they close the open end of said compartment.

3. Treating apparatus for a boat, comprising in combination, a compartment adapted to conform to the configuration of the hull of a boat, said compartment comprising a flexible sheet of waterproof material having one end sealingly closed and the other end :open, said sheet having a configuration such that it can be drawn aft and beneath the bow of the hull of said boat to a point such that its open end is aft of the stern of the hull; buoyant material secured to said sheet along the longitudinal edges thereof; a resilient tubular element lying along, and attached to, each half of the sheet end opposite that which is sealingly closed; a rigid member including angularly disposed legs within each of said tubular elements; and a hinge connection between one end of said members at the bottom of the configuration and arranged such that the legs opposite those joined by said hinge are parallel with each other when in closed position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that when said rigid members are brought together, they close the open end of said compartment.

4. Treating apparatus for a boat, comprising in combination, a compartment adapted to conform to the configuration of the hull of a boat, said compartment comprising a flexible sheet of Waterproof material having one end sealingly closed and the other end open, said sheet having a configuration such that it can be drawn aft and beneath the bow of the hull of said boat to a point such that its open end is aft of the stern of the hull; buoyant material secured to said sheet along the longitudinal edges thereof; a rigid member including angularly disposed legs attached to each half of the sheet end opposite that which is sealingly closed; a hinge connection between one end of each of said members at the bottom of the configuration and arranged such that the legs opposite those joined by said hinge are parallel with each other when in closed position, the construction and arrangement of the parts being such that when said rigid members are brought together, they close the open end of said compartment; and means at spaced intervals along said buoyant edges of said sheet adapted to be connected to lines for attachment to hardware on the deck of said boat.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,961 4/99 Quimby 114-222 1,973,813 9/34 Kelley 1l-4222 2,105,014 1/38 Segel 114-222 FERGUS s. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner. 

1. TREATING APPARATUS FOR A BOAT, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A COMPARTMENT ADAPTED TO CONFORM TO THE CONFIGURATION OF THE HULL OF A BOAT, SAID COMPARTMENT COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SHEET OF WATERPROOF MATERIAL HAVING ONE END SEALINGLY CLOSED AND THE OTHER END OPEN, SAID SHEET HAVING A CONFIGUARATION SUCH THAT IT CAN BE DRAWN AFT AND BENEATH THE BOW OF THE HULL OF SAID BOAT TO A POINT SUCH THAT ITS OPEN END IS AFT OF THE STERN OF THE HULL; A RIGID MEMBER INCLUDING ANGULARLY DISPOSED LEGS ATTACHED TO EACH HALF OF THE SHEET END OPPOSITE THAT WHICH IS SEALINGLY CLOSED; AND A HINGE CONNECTION BETWEEN ONE END OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONFIGURATION AND ARRANGED SUCH THAT THE LEGS OPPOSITE THOSE JOINED BY SAID HINGE ARE PARALLEL WITH EACH OTHER WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION, THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARTS BEING SUCH THAT WHEN SAID RIGID MEMBERS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER, THEY CLOSE THE OPEN END OF SAID COMPARTMENT. 